This invention relates to a fuel pressure sensor and more particularly to a fuel pressure sensor which measures the pressure of fuel residing within a fuel rail while concomitantly and substantially preventing the fuel from being communicated into the intake manifold.
Fuel rails are used within vehicles to selectively receive and allow fuel to be communicated to the various fuel injectors of the engine. The received fuel creates a certain pressure within the fuel rail and this pressure is typically measured by a fuel sensor which communicates the measured pressure to a controller. The controller utilizes the measured pressure to vary the duty cycle of a fuel pump, effective to maintain optimal fuel pressure within the fuel rail and to the various fuel injectors.
Typically, a fuel pressure sensor includes a cavity into which a sensing member is disposed. The fuel pressure sensor further includes a pair of orifices which respectively allow communication between the sensing member and the fuel rail and between the sensing member and the intake manifold. In this manner, the amount of pressure which is sensed by and/or which is applied to the sensing member, resident within the cavity, is indicative of the fuel pressure within the fuel rail.
While these prior sensors adequately measure the amount of pressure within the fuel rail, they suffer from at least one drawback. That is, should the sensing member fail or become damaged, fuel may be communicated from the fuel rail and into the intake manifold, thereby causing hydro-locking of the engine, stalling of the vehicle, and/or the generation of various undesirable types of vehicle emissions.
There is therefore a need for a new and improved fuel pressure sensor which substantially prevents the contained fuel from undesirably entering the intake manifold and which substantially prevents such undesired hydro-locking, stalling, and/or the generation of these various undesirable types of vehicle emissions.
According to a first object of the present invention a fuel pressure sensor is provided which overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of prior fuel pressure sensors.
According to a second object of the present invention, a fuel pressure sensor is provided which overcomes at least one drawback of prior sensors and which measures the pressure of fuel which resides within a fuel rail while concomitantly and substantially preventing the fuel from being communicated into the intake manifold.
According to a third object of the present invention, a fuel pressure sensor is provided which is adapted to be selectively coupled to an intake manifold and to the fuel rail, which is adapted to sense and/or measure the pressure which exists within the fuel rail by the use of air which is communicated into the sensor through the intake manifold, which is adapted to generate an electrical signal indicative of the sensed and/or measured fuel pressure, and which is further adapted to substantially prevent fuel from entering the air intake manifold.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a fuel pressure sensor is provided for use in combination with an intake manifold and a fuel rail which contains fuel. The contained fuel creates a certain pressure within the fuel rail. The fuel pressure sensor comprises a hollow body forming a cavity and having a first end portion which includes a first aperture which allows the intake manifold to communicate with the cavity. The fuel pressure sensor includes a sensor member which is operatively deployed within the cavity and a second end portion which includes a second aperture which allows the fuel contained within the fuel rail to be communicated to the sensor member. The fuel pressure sensor further includes a material which is disposed within the cavity and which substantially prevents the movement of the fuel from the fuel rail into the first aperture.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and by reference to the following drawings.